Box or crate



(No Model.)

0. E. PARKS.

BOX 0R CRATE.

No. 409,699. Patented Aug. 27, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. PARKS, OF WATER'IOIVN, WVISCONSIN.

BOX OR CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,699, dated August27, 1889.

Application filed May 21, 1889. Serial No. 311,544. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. PARKS, of WVatertown, in the county ofJefferson, and in the State of WVisconsin, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Boxes or Crates; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof;

My invention relates especially to packing boxes and crates; and itconsists in certain peculiarities of construction, as will be fully setforth hereinafter and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of one form of myimproved device. Fig. 2 is a like view of another form, and Fig. 3 is aplan View of the slatted fabric employed in the construction ofmyimproved boxes and crates.

My said fabric A may be. of any width and length required, according tothe size or style of box or crate desired; but in all instances it iscontinuous, and is formed of two end strips a a, united by wires orcords b I) Z), whose ends may be simply wound or twisted around tacks orscrews 0 c c, or staples (Z (Z may be driven over the wire ends adjacentto said tacks or screws, or in place thereof, or wound around said endstrips, as preferred, so long as said wires are firmly secured to saidend strips, and intermediate between these end strips a a are the slatse 6, preferably of very thin wood, which are woven in and out or overand under said wires to form a filling, in a manner analogous to thatshown in my patent, No. 386,157, dated July 17, 1888.

I11 my former patent just named, my boxes or crates were composed ofindependent sections, each section consisting of a rigid skeleton frame,with a wire or cord warp and slatted filling; but in my present device Ifirst construct a fabric, as just described, of sufficient length toform sides and bottom of the box or case, as shownin Fig. 1,or, ifpreferred, the sides and bottom and top also, as shown in Fig. 2, anddraw the fabric to place over end frames B B, and tack or otherwisesecure it directly to the edges of said end portions, which may berabbeted frames with thin strips of board tacked thereto, as shown inFig. 1, or my patented box-sections, as shown in Fig. 2, or solid piecesof boards, if desired.

It is obvious that instead of using my fabric for the sides of the boxesor crates (as well as the bottom or bottom and top) I may, if preferred,make the sides of my boxes and crates of filled frames, like those inFigs. 1 and 2, or of solid boards, and put my fabric on lengthwise, sothat the ends, instead of the sides, will be of my said continuousfabric; but this is so apparent thatI have not deemed it necessary toillustrate the same in my drawings.

\Vhen the fabric A has been tacked, nailed, or otherwise secured to theend (or side) fram esections 13 B, I may strengthen the bottom or theend edges of the box or crate with strips O C, if desired.

The form of box or crate shown in Fig. 1 is made with an open top, tohave a separate top of any preferred construction added thereto; but inthe form shown in Fig. 2 the fabric A is of such length relative to thesize of the end frame-sections as to form aflexible cover, which, whenthe box or crate has been filled, may be broughtover, and its end stripa tacked or otherwise secured to the other end strip a of said fabric atthe top of the front side of said box or crate.

Inasmuch as my fabric is merely nailed or tacked to the edges of the end(or side) framesections the said fabric can be readily detachedtherefrom, making a knockdown box or crate of my package for storage orreshipment, and as I employ single wires or cords for my warp the saidfabric can be very readily folded flat upon itself, as each warp wire orcord will be upon one side only of each slat of the filling. The saidslats are placed closely together, but are not perfectly flat, becausethey will necessarily occupy different planes at all the points wherethey are intersected by the warp wires or cords, and as the latter arestretched tightly from one end strip a to the other this serves to holdthe slats of the filling against anylateral displacement; and at thesame time for fruit-packages a further advantage is gained by the factthat air is thus permitted to circulate about the points of theintersection of the wire or cord with the slat-filling, and thus myboxes or crates are ventilated packages, while at the same time theslats are so close together as to prevent the loss of any of thecontents.

If desired, any suitable division pieces or sections may be placedwithin my said package, and, if preferred, strengthening-strips may beplaced in line therewith outside of the box or crate, and nailed ortacked to the edges of said division-pieces through the interposedfabric A; but these details are of minor importance and may be varied inany given instance.

If desired in any instance, thin wooden strips may be used in place ofthe wire or cord, and the Wire, if such is used, may be round or fiatand of any size preferred, and even bandiron may be employed, if deemednecessary, as when very strong packages are desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a box or crate, the combination,with suitable end or side pieces, of a continuous fabric formed of aseries of single wires, cords, or wooden strips secured to end stripsand having a wooden filling woven in and out or over and under saidwires, cords, 0r strips, said fabric forming the sides or ends andbottom of the box or crate in one continuous strip, and being tacked orotherwise secured to the edges of said end or side pieces, substantiallyas set forth.

2. A box or crate consisting of suitable end or side pieces, incombination with a continuous fabric formed of single wires, cords, orwooden strips interwoven with wooden slats, tacked or otherwisedetachably secured to the edges of said end or side pieces to form theother sides or ends of said box or crate, and extending beyond said endor side pieces to form a continuous flexible cover for said box orcrate, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at\Vatertown, in the county of Jefferson and State of Wisconsin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. PARKS.

Witnesses:

E. J. BRANDT, CARL E. EMMERLING.

